Utility Tool Belt Pad

ABSTRACT

A utility tool belt pad described herein comprising of a 4″ wide 100% neoprene with u-loop fabric on the inside and covered with nylon for long-lasting use. The present invention works by wrapping the utility tool belt pad around your waste between your clothing and skin. The neoprene pad is ½″ thick with rolled edge for comfort and design to have narrower sides and front for freedom of movement and the comfort foam relieves pressure associated with all-day wear thanks to the thick padding creating space between body and belt. The added layer of protection stops contact between the waist and hips and hard unforgiving clips, preventing painful bruising and soreness from all-day wear. Once attached by the Velcro loop hook the user can securely fixed any type of utility belt to their body over the utility tool belt pad. The present invention will give a user&#39;s skin and hips the support they deserve, and will drastically reduce the impact, irritation, strain, pinching and bruising.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX”

Not Applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a cushion device forpreventing both stress and irritation associated with utility type beltsand more particularly, to utility tool belt pad which can comfortablysupport and reduce the impact, irritation, strain, pinching and bruisingfrom user in such industries as law enforcement, construction, military,fire, search and rescue and sports.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Over the years, there have been a wide variety of utility type belts,especially those commonly worn by construction workers, militarypersonal, fire rescue professionals, athletics and other specializedtrades persons. These typically comprise a belt adapted to be wornaround the waist, which supports one or more tools, implements,utensils, or the like of a user has been recognized for some time.Hence, many utility type belts are provided without pads and without anymechanism to add pads if desired. In some scenarios, this may provide alimitation on the ability of a wearer to effectively carry heavierobjects like tools from the belt.

In addition, it is common knowledge that many user of utility type beltare particularly susceptible to back injury, skin irritation, pinching,bruising and hip strain. This can result from a number of differentsources such as the relatively heavy or awkward lifting, pulling orpushing that can and often encountered by wearing these types of utilitybelts. In addition, the weight of the tools that typically carried byuser is a constant strain on the user body.

For example, a hip strain occurs when one of the muscles supporting thehip joint is stretched beyond its limit or torn. Strains may be mild,moderate, or severe, depending on the extent of the injury. A severestrain can limit your ability to move your hip. Anyone can experience ahip strain just doing everyday tasks, but strains most often occur whilewearing non-supported belts with heavy loads and during sportsactivities.

Construction type belts are available which provide a plurality ofleather loops connected to an underlying leather belt by rivets. Theloops can receive a variety of tools such as hammers, screwdrivers, andthe like. Although the tool belt can support substantial weight from thewaist of a user because the underlying leather belt has some verticalrigidity, this design tends to restrict the motion of the wearer and isnot usually adaptable to receive implements other than conventionalcarpenter and framing tools. Stated another way, this design istypically implement specific.

A law enforcement belt generally comprises a leather belt having aconventional buckle. A handgun holster, hands cuff pouch, nightstick andother devices are typically attached to the belt by means of a loop onthe back of each of these devices through which the belt is threaded. Inemergencies, a law enforcement belt allows for quick and direct accessto all essential equipment and wearing a law enforcement belt directlyon your normal belt is often uncomfortable and disturbing, especiallywhen sitting or lying down. The utility tool belt pad is the perfectsolution.

Military belt comprises a cotton belt having a plurality of grommetsthere through arranged in vertical pairs. A pronged device is then usedto pivotally attach canteens and other implements to the grommets in thebelt. This design offers superior mobility to the soldier because theimplements can swing in a vertical plane from the waist of the soldier,thus facilitating easy striding and bending motions. However, this beltcannot comfortably support a substantial amount of weight from the waistof the soldier without discomfort because the belt itself does not havesubstantial rigidity in a vertical direction.

In addition, there has also been a recognized need for supporting theback during sports activities and exercise of various types. Theseapplications, of course, do not require a tool pouch or any otherequivalent type of component to be support. For example, backpacks ofteninclude waist belts to help distribute some weight of a load away fromshoulder straps and/or to secure a lower portion of the bag against awearer's body to prevent the bag from bouncing or jostling excessivelyduring use. Especially in larger packs with frames, pads are oftenprovided in such waist belts to provide additional cushioning or anchorpoints for engaging the hips of a wearer to facilitate load transfer.However, the pads provided are often bulky, difficult to customize for aspecific wearer, and not practical to remove in situations where a loadis light enough that the pads are not needed. In smaller packs withoutframes, the load that can fit within the bag can typically be bornecomfortably by the shoulders, so corresponding waist belts are usuallyused primarily for securing purposes instead of load-bearing.

None of the above designs adequately combines the ability to supportheavy loads from the waist of a user comfortably while providing a fullrange of bending motions for the user. Presently available designs arelimited in this respect principally because vertical rigidity (whichpermits substantial loads to be carried by the user) generally resultsin an uncomfortable belt. Certain padded belts are available on externalframe, which address this problem by providing heavy pad ding in the hiparea. However, the hip belt itself is substantially flexible verticallyand is only able to support substantial weight on the hips. Thus, such abelt would not be well adapted for use as a utility bel pad. Therefore,a need exists for a utility tool belt pad, which can support substantialweight from the waist of a user comfortably and which does not impedestriding and bending motions. Furthermore, a need exists for a utilitytool belt pad, which is readily adaptable to support a variety ofdifferent utility type tool belts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a utility tool beltpad as described below which can also interchangeably support aplurality of different implements and implement holders, which caneasily adjust to users having different sized waists.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a belt pad,which can comfortably support heavy loads from the waist of a userwithout causing discomfort to the user and without substantiallyimpeding bending or striding movements of the user.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide simple,efficient, convenient, economical and comfortable means for holding ingenerally a utility belt for construction, law enforcement, fire andrescue, athletics including hikers and training personal for example.

More specifically, the present invention is a lightweight, inexpensive,resilient, washable, moisture resistant belt pad made of 100% neoprene,the tool belt pad is comfortable enough to be worn all day long,offering comfort through work, chores, or exercise. The utility toolbelt pad works with all utility type belts and reduces skin irritation,pinching, bruising and hip strain. Work well in industries such as lawenforcement, construction, military, fire, search & rescue, and sports.

Designed to relieve you from the cutting edges and circulation problems,minimizing bulk and restriction of movement associated with most utilitytype belts. Will not cut into your side or restrict circulation.

This utility tool belt pad is constructed of 4″ wide neoprene withu-loop fabric on the inside and covered with nylon for long-lasting use.The neoprene pad is ½″ thick with rolled edge for comfort and design tohave narrower sides and front for freedom of movement and the comfortfoam relieves pressure associated with all-day wear thanks to the thickpadding creates space between body and belt. The added layer ofprotection stops contact between the waist and hips and hard unforgivingclips, preventing painful bruising and soreness from all-day wear.

The utility tool belt pad cushion technology form the most comfortablebelt pad configured for belt worn systems. Lightweight comfort, easy toretrofit onto an existing belt set. The utility belt pad has a soft sidedesigned to be place against your skin. Wrap the present inventionaround your waste between your clothing and skin. Once attached by theVelcro loop hook the user can securely fixed any type of utility belt totheir body over the utility tool belt pad.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the utility tool belt pad in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the utility tool belt pad of FIG. 1, showingthe utility tool belt pad unfastened according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the utility tool belt pad of FIG. 1, showingthe utility tool belt pad after attachment according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a close-up detail view of the utility tool belt pad, as shownwith the Velcro attached to the u-loop fabric.

FIG. 5 is an exploded top view of the utility tool belt pad shown inFIG. 1, showing the construction of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of utility tool belt pad according to thepresent invention, incorporated under a garment and attached to a userbody.

FIG. 7 is a close-up side view of the present invention, without agarment against the skin of a user body.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of utility tool belt pad according to thepresent invention in use, wherein a utility/tool belt is incorporated.

FIG. 9 is a close-up side view of the present invention, as shown placedunder a garment and having a utility/tool belt attached.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of utility tool belt pad according to thepresent invention in use, wherein a duty belt is incorporated.

FIG. 11 is substantially a perspective view of the relationship betweenthe utility tool belt pad of the present invention and a duty belt.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of utility tool belt pad according to thepresent invention in use, wherein a fire/rescue belt is incorporated.

FIG. 13 is substantially a perspective view of the relationship betweenthe utility tool belt pad of the present invention and a fire/rescuebelt.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of utility tool belt pad according to thepresent invention in use, wherein a typical belt is incorporated.

DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment,reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part ofthis application. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specificembodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to beunderstood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changesmay be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.The present invention shown in FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a utilitytool belt pad 10, comprising a 100% neoprene sponge 11, an internallyu-loop fabric 12, and a laminated nylon 13 outer shell. As shown in FIG.2 is a front view utility tool belt pad 10 unattached, including theproduct description 15 with the Velcro hook fastener 14 sewn 16 onto theoutside of the laminated nylon 13. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 3, is afront view of the utility tool belt pad 10, with the u-loop fabric 12fastens by the Velcro hook fastener 14 keeping the utility tool belt pad10 securely together. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4 is aclose-up detail view of the utility tool belt pad 10, as shown with theVelcro hook fastener 14 attached to the u-loop fabric 12. As shown inFIG. 5 is an exploded view of the utility tool belt pad 10 showing therelationship between components including a 100% neoprene sponge 11,u-loop fabric 12, laminated nylon 13 and a Velcro hook fastener 14. Asgenerally shown in FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the utility tool beltpad 10, shown in FIG. 1, attached around the waist 18 of a user 17touching the body 22 and/or skins 20 position under the garment 19. Asbest shown in FIG. 7 is a side view of the utility tool belt pad 10referring to FIG. 6 place against the skin 20 under the garment 19providing a close-up view of the method of protection for the user 17.In accordance with embodiments of the present invention FIG. 8, is aperspective view of the user 17 with the utility tool belt pad 10attached to the body 22 and more specifically the skin 20 having autility/tool belt 21 attached to the waist 18 on the outside of thegarment 19 of the user 17. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 9 is afront view of the utility tool belt pad 10 referring to FIG. 1, shown ina cutout place against the body 22 touching the skin 20 and theutility/tool belt 21 place over the utility tool belt pad 10. Inaddition, the garment 19 is located between the utility/tool belt 21 andthe utility tool belt pad 10 giving the user 17 the option to wear theutility tool belt pad 10 without the utility/tool belt 21. In accordancewith embodiments of the present invention FIG. 10, is a perspective viewof the user 17 with the utility tool belt pad 10 attached to the body 22and more specifically the skin 20 having a duty belt 24 attached to thewaist 18 on the outside of the garment 19 of the user 17. As shown inFIG. 11 is a perspective of the utility tool belt pad 10 referring toFIG. 10 provides a detail view of the method of the present inventionshowing the best position of the utility tool belt pad 10, garment 19and the duty belt 24. In accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention FIG. 12, is a perspective view of the user 17 with the utilitytool belt pad 10 attached to the body 22 and more specifically the skin20 having a fire/rescue belt 25 attached to the waist 18 on the outsideof the garment 19 of the user 17. As shown in FIG. 13 is a perspectiveof the utility tool belt pad 10 referring to FIG. 12 provides a detailview of the method of the present invention showing the best position ofthe utility tool belt pad 10, garment 19 and the fire/rescue belt 25. Inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention FIG. 14, is aperspective view of the user 17 with the utility tool belt pad 10attached to the body 22 and more specifically the skin 20 having atypical belt 23 attached to the waist 18 on the outside of the garment19 of the user 17. Whereas FIG. 13 shows the relationship between atypical belt 23 and the present invention in some cases the typical beltcould represent different types of belts (not shown) including but notlimited to a backpack waist belt, a training belt, survival belt,accessory belt and athletic sport belt or the likes.

CONCLUSION

Although the description above contains many specifications, theseshould not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but asmerely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferredembodiments of this invention. Thus, the scope of the invention shouldbe determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents ratherthan by the examples given.

1-6. (canceled)
 7. A utility belt pad comprising: A) A belt having a ½″ thickness and 4″ wide neoprene fabric, length that is adjustable and one rectangular U-loop fabric mounted on exterior of said belt. B) The belt thin layer of neoprene acts like a lightweight cushion that protects the skin from the pain and discomfort caused by standard tool belt use.
 8. The belt utility belt pad of claim 7, wherein the belt thin layer of neoprene fabric encircle the waist between the skin and utility belt for protecting the skin from the painful pinching and rashes caused by wrinkled and tightly cinched utility belts.
 9. The belt utility belt pad of claim 7, wherein the belt thin layer of neoprene fabric eliminates the uncomfortable fatigue caused by standard utility belt use.
 10. The belt utility belt pad of claim 7, wherein the belt thin layer of neoprene fabric with its soft underside material providing all day comfort and protection against tight utility belts and clothing. 